


Where the Ocean meets the Sky

by Oceanewave, watcher_ofthe_sky



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Freeform, Idiots in Love, Just them being sappy, M/M, long narrations, ocean and sky references because we couldn't separate ourselves from our alias
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-16
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceanewave/pseuds/Oceanewave, https://archiveofourown.org/users/watcher_ofthe_sky/pseuds/watcher_ofthe_sky
Summary: The Ocean.Vast, blue, untamed, deep and it holds many secrets that one has yet to find. Unpredictable most of the time, barely able to contain the rage in the waves.For a long time, Natsu thought that this particular place was the only way for him to feel at peace; for his raging thoughts to be finally put at rest; for his aching body to finally be unravelled.But that was before he found the ocean in the eyes of someone, he never thought he would see it.***The Sky.Endless, stretching across boundaries. It’s limitlessness wide enough to cover us whole; vast enough to make room for everyone.When Ur died, her life freezing and engulfing into the ice shell— the element which was Gray— he loathed himself. That ice forever became a memory of the sins he had committed. He had killed his master. She sealed one darkness, one void; but for Gray, another opened. He no longer felt belonged. This sky which claimed to have a space for everyone— it had nothing for him.But the thing about ice is, it melts.Natsu was Gray’s fire.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster
Comments: 2
Kudos: 35





	Where the Ocean meets the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaboration with @oceanewave and my lazy ass finally got the time to post it here. It's pretty much what it says on the tin. Writing around our respective alias was just a plus point, I think. We both have an obsession with these elements anyway. ;)

_“I see the fire inside your eyes_

_I’m feeling all of you_

_Don’t need to hide_

_From letting go_

_You know I’m here for you”_

Nive-Liberated

*

**The Ocean.**

Vast, blue, untamed, deep and it holds many secrets that one has yet to find. Unpredictable most of the time, barely able to contain the rage in the waves.

Natsu has always found this place fascinating, despite using a magic that was the exact opposite of his element. The fact that he could recognize himself in it was probably the main reason why he was so interested. They shared the same passion, and he felt a little less alone in the world when he was next to it. It was calming for him, listening to the sound of the water crashing on the sand, smelling the salty air and feeling the faint breeze in his hair, like a soft caress of a mother; that was how it felt for him. He didn’t miss any chance he got to get into this kind of moment.

For a long time, he thought that this particular place was the only way for him to feel at peace; for his raging thoughts to be finally put at rest; for his aching body to finally be unravelled.

But that was before he found the ocean in the eyes of someone, he never thought he would see it.

Natsu still remembers the first time he really saw them. It was a day like any other but at the same time, it wasn’t. Gray and he were at the riverbank, just like they always were; the sun was setting, letting the night take over, but unlike the other time where they find themselves fighting each other, this time everything was calm between them. Neither seems to mind at first as they were contemplating the water flowing in front of them. Until Natsu felt a hand sliding against his, taking it gently. And while he would have normally made at least a comment at the gesture, this time he didn’t say anything, he didn’t put up a fight, he just squeezed that hand in his.

Maybe it was because he was tired of playing this game with Gray, where they both pretend that the relation between them was purely friendship when really, they could both feel how the other wanted the other. Or maybe the contact was something he needed so badly, and he didn’t know about it until it happened.

Either way, neither of them let go of the other, instead, they turned their head so they could face each other, still not a word escaping their lips. Their eyes met, and it’s in that exact moment that Natsu found the ocean in Gray’s eyes.

Suddenly he could see the blue of his eyes, moving, as if it were waves, he could see how deep it really was, hiding so many secrets and memories. He could see all the emotions dancing, waiting for him to give his permission so Gray could finally let everything go.

He didn’t know why it wasn’t the case before but that evening, it was everything to him. As if this was proof that whatever was going on between them, was a good thing.

And as he allowed himself to find peace in those blue eyes, he decided it was only fair for Gray to feel the same. He placed a kiss on his lips, it was soft, tender and chaste, but it was enough for them to know that this moment meant the world to them.

**

“A kiss for your thoughts.”

Gray says as he slides behind Natsu’s body, trapping him between his legs and resting his arms around his waist. Natsu doesn’t say anything, his eyes still on the ocean in front of them, while he melts against his chest, putting his head on Gray’s shoulder.

Gray doesn’t press the matter, knowing that his partner would talk when needed. It took Gray a long time to understand this part of Natsu that he has never really seen before they got together. This part requires Natsu to think about everything he has in mind before he talks because it means a lot to him, and he wants to make sure that Gray can understand him perfectly well. People usually thought he was simply a hothead, even he thought like this for a long time when really, there was more about Natsu.

“Does that mean if I don’t say anything, I won’t have a kiss?” Natsu finally replies.

Gray doesn’t have to look at him to know that he’s wearing a soft smile right now.

“I think that’s pretty much what it means,” The Ice Mage teases.

He feels Natsu moving between his legs until the boy is facing and straddling him. Just like he thought, there’s a smile on his lips, but there’s also a tender look in his eyes, and Gray can’t help but stare at them.

It’s only when they are this close that Gray can perfectly see their colours. At first, they look brownish but the more Gray is paying attention, the more he can see the little green and gold dots in them. They are probably the most beautiful eyes he has ever seen.

“What if I decided to steal this kiss from you then?” Natsu asks slowly.

Natsu brings a hand to his cheek, caressing the skin tenderly. It’s the kind of touch he only reserves for a moment like this, where there’s only the two of them, where no one can see how vulnerable and open they are. Gray lives for these moments because it feels like they are the only one in the world and nothing can stop them.

“I’m pretty sure a good thief doesn’t usually tell what he’s planning to do,” Gray answers in the same tone.

It’s not long before he can feel Natsu’s mouth on his, and he immediately lets himself be lost in the sensation. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to the way Natsu moves his lips against his. Gray had never kissed someone like him before, he is so passionate, just like he is with everything else in his life, but there’s something more with Natsu. Each time they kiss is like it’s their last. And it’s terrifying and amazing at the same time.

The kiss doesn’t last more than a few seconds but it feels like an eternity has passed when they part away. Somehow they are both breathless and Gray can’t help but smile.

“For a long time, the only moments where I felt this calm was when I was by the sea, watching the immensity of the Ocean.” Natsu eventually says.

“What changed?”

“You.”

Gray doesn’t know what to say. Of all the things he thought Natsu would have said, this wasn’t something he expected. And the way Natsu is smiling right now, he has no doubt that the Fire Mage knows how confused he is right now.

“I know it sounds ridiculous,” Natsu adds, “When we’re both fighting and yelling at each other’s faces almost every day but… It feels calm. To be by your side.”

Gray can feel the way his cheeks are suddenly burning from the words that he just heard. Which is really embarrassing, since Natsu has always been the one, having no problem to express how he feels, and Gray should definitely be used to it by now.

A laugh escapes Natsu lips, amusement dancing in his eyes.

“What is it? You asked about my thoughts, I’m finally answering you and you can’t take it, Princess?”

“Ah, shut up! You’re saying these things out of the blue, it’s unfair.”

Natsu laughs some more. The sound of it is so clear and so perfect, Gray often wonders how come he never realised it before and at this thought, he can’t help the faint smile forming on his lips.

“Well, it might be out of nowhere but, I meant it though. You’re my ‘happy place’.”

Gray growls and brings his hand up to hide his face. He hears Natsu’s snort before he feels him getting up.

“Come on Ice Queen, let’s swim a little before we have to go back!”

There’s a hand suddenly grabbing his, pushing him up, and before he knows it, his feet are moving at the same pace as Natsu’s, bringing him to the water.

He knows that Natsu indulges him, he never knows how to respond to this kind of things. But as he feels the salty water touching his skin, and as he sees the bright smile on Natsu’s face, he promises himself that one day he’ll be able to tell everything he’s too afraid to say now, to this person that he cherishes the most in this world.

xxx

**The Sky.**

Endless, stretching across boundaries. It’s limitlessness wide enough to cover us whole; vast enough to make room for everyone.

When Deliora crumbled down Gray’s life, he had turned into a dark void; an emptiness which was only fuelled by hatred and a desire for revenge. When Ur taught him magic, it gave him a way to channel all his emotions into a bigger something. He was no longer a powerless weak boy who could only cry as his world shattered down before him.

He became one with his element. He imagined himself being the ice: cold, hard and calculating.

But when Ur died, her life freezing and engulfing into the ice shell— the element which was Gray— he loathed himself. That ice forever became a memory of the sins he had committed. He had killed his master. She sealed one darkness, one void; but for Gray, another opened. He no longer felt belonged. This sky which claimed to have a space for everyone— it had nothing for him.

But the thing about ice is, it melts.

Gray was tired of the loops he was running himself into. The loops which started and ended with how pathetic his existence was. He did everything he could to conceal his weakness.

Natsu was Gray’s fire. A voice loud enough to shake him out of his silence; stubborn enough to drag him out of his darkness; strong enough to bear the cuts he throws at people on his bad days; someone who believed in him enough to know that he wasn’t a fragile fracture who would break down when touched.

But fire and ice are opposing elements. They collide with destruction. The thing about Natsu was that his fire came without the sweltering heat. So, when they crashed, they did not burn. His ice melted rather turning into blistering steam. Their summer and winter met mid-way in spring.

And Gray learned to slowly bloom.

The sky always giggles in its different colours; sweeps itself magnificently with a palette of million hues and paints a breath-taking sight. Natsu was that sight. He was made up of so many colours, so many parts, that Gray couldn’t help but fall hard for. What people didn’t know about Natsu was that he too had days when the wide, stupid grin on his face falters down. He was too loud and stubborn to let his sadness show up for others to see.

But Gray was different. Gray knew what hiding under masks felt like. He had mastered the act since he was a child. He knew that words can lie. Sometimes, actions too. But the rage—it brims up the deepest of things and fears. Their rivalry had always been an escape. Gray wanted attention; to be seen for who he has become rather than for who he was. He had always been too afraid of being transparent; wondered whether people would one day actually _look_ at him and find out what he has done.

So, he toughened himself. Made sure that people could _only_ see what _he_ wants them to see.

When Natsu joined the guild, Gray wanted to make his point. The Dragon Slayer looked his age, was cheerful and funny and he fit. He belonged in a way that Gray felt he never would. That started the rivalry.

Soon everything changed.

There was one thing Gray definitely was: observant. He and Natsu fought every day. They made a language out of their punches and kicks. For both of them, their fights became something that they _needed_. Because when people are fighting, they get to know each other’s limits; each other’s strengths and weakness. Gray found out that Natsu fought him because he wanted to; he knew that Natsu was dependent on it as much as he was. They didn’t need words to read each other.

For the first time, Gray found out that he could be vulnerable to someone. He had always been afraid that he was bad luck who brings demise on the people he loves. But with Natsu, it felt like the Dragon Slayer takes all his pieces and helps him build himself back. He pushed him to his limits and shouted to get past them; to become better. Natsu was someone who could take the hits that Gray throws because he was tough.

But most importantly, Natsu allowed Gray to break. He made sure that it’s okay for a person to be vulnerable. To let things out before you can let go of them. All this time, Gray wanted to crumble down hard enough so that he can build himself back again, but he was afraid of doing it alone. And there was no one who could carry his broken pieces for him.

But when Natsu Dragneel came and knocked down all the walls, Gray knew that there would be someone to catch him when he will fall.

***

“Thinking this hard would freeze your already iced up brain, popsicle,” Natsu says, grinning widely when Gray rolls his eyes at him.

They are lying on the grass, shoulders bumping, watching the sky dripping away in the colours of the sunset.

“Or,” Natsu continues, “You’re thinking so much that your brain would get a short circuit and the fire might melt away the ice. That might be good.”

He burst out laughing when Gray gave him an incredulous look that clearly said, “What even?”

The ice mage exhales and moves closer to face him. “Is this what you say to your boyfriend?” he murmurs, mocking anger.

Natsu yanks him closer by his necklace, their face now only an inch apart. “Well, what should I say to my boyfriend, then?” he whispers over Gray’s lips.

“I don’t know,” Gray replies and slides over Natsu’s body, his hands trailing his face. “Maybe you can start with how beautiful he is.”

“Very,” Natsu says softly, his eyes locked with Gray’s blue one.

“Or how his stupid smile can brighten your day more than the sun,” Gray says, caressing his lips.

“Oh, yes. His smile is very stupid. Stupidly amazing. Stupidly brightening,” he replies, his fingers threading Gray’s locks. “But whenever I see that smile, I want to freeze that moment so that I can look at it forever.”

Natsu chuckles at the way Gray still blushes at the direct compliments. But today, instead of looking away, the ice mage is still looking at him with a gaze full of a certain resolve and so much fondness and love that makes Natsu feel so weak and yet so full to the very core.

“Or you can start with how you often think about what you would be without your boyfriend. If you ever will be enough for him. How he makes you open up and feel so vulnerable that you get scared but it also feels like one of the best damn things in the world. You can start with how sappy and cringy you get when you talk like this but it’s all worth it because it’s him. And you love him. So much.”

Natsu takes a shuddered breath at hearing the honest confession. He looks at Gray whose eyes are also gleaming with tears as he smiles through them.

The Dragon Slayer cups his face as he says, “Gray, you’ll always have me. And you’re enough. Beyond enough that makes me think what did I do to deserve someone like you. You, you are everything that I’ve ever needed; ever wanted. I never thought that I am capable of loving someone this much as I love you.”

He pulls him closer and captures his lips for a kiss. When they finally break apart, Gray touches his forehead with his and snorts, “So much for a simple relaxing evening.”

Natsu laughs and wraps his arms around him, pecking him on his nose.“This is relaxing too.”

The ice mage tucks himself beneath his chin as they snuggled together on their sides.

Natsu looks up at the now almost faded sun. The sky now bursting into hues and dotting itself with a star or two.

“The sky; it is so beautiful,” he says in awe and then looks at the ice mage.

Gray doesn’t look up but only watches Natsu before he holds him tighter and whispers, “It really is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Reviews keep us going. We would love to hear your comments. ^^


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